As of 13 October 2026 (27 Asoj 2083). This page states only what the United States government has published. It will be updated on the day an entry period is announced.
The EDV 2028 opening date has not been announced. As of 13 October 2026 the US Department of State has published no entry period for DV-2028, and the entry period for the previous programme, DV-2027, was deferred and has not been reported as opened either.
EDV means Electronic Diversity Visa, the US green card lottery that many Nepalis enter every autumn. Many websites are already printing a start date for this year. None of those dates comes from the US government.
Two things have changed officially, and both affect every applicant from Nepal: entering now costs US$1, and you need a valid passport before you can submit the form. This page separates what is confirmed from what is guesswork.
Quick answers
| Question | Official position |
|---|---|
| EDV 2028 opening date | Not announced |
| Where the form will be | dvprogram.state.gov only |
| Cost to enter | US$1, paid when you submit the entry |
| Passport | Required at entry, with a scan of two pages |
| Who announces the dates | US Department of State |
| How winners are told | Only through Entrant Status Check on the official site |
Has the EDV 2028 opening date been announced?
No. Here is what we checked.
- The Federal Register. This is the US government’s official journal. It published the instructions for DV-2025 on 3 October 2023 and for DV-2026 on 1 October 2024. It has published no instructions for DV-2027 or DV-2028.
- The State Department’s own rule. In a rule published on 11 March 2026, the Department wrote that it anticipated a deferral of the opening of the entry period for the 2027 programme.
- Independent trackers. Three US immigration law firms that follow the programme reported, between 14 and 30 September 2026, that no DV-2028 dates had been posted and that DV-2027 registration had not opened.
One thing we could not do. The State Department’s websites blocked our automated check while this page was being prepared, so we could not read the entry site’s current notice ourselves. Open dvprogram.state.gov in your own browser. If an entry period exists, it will say so there.
The DV-2027 question
In a normal year the EDV form opens in early October. Last year it did not.
According to the law firm trackers, the State Department said on 5 November 2025 that it was changing the entry process and would announce the DV-2027 registration dates later. That fits the Department’s own March 2026 statement about a deferral.
This matters for anyone searching for “EDV 2028”. The next form to open may carry the DV-2027 name, the DV-2028 name, or both may be scheduled close together. Nobody outside the State Department knows. The preparation is the same either way.
What is already official for the next entry
These three points come from final rules in the Federal Register. They apply to the next entry period, whenever it opens.
1. A US$1 registration fee
A rule effective 16 September 2025 created a US$1 fee to register for the lottery. The March 2026 rule adds that every entrant pays it at the time of submitting the entry and that no waivers are available.
The fee is separate from the US$330 Diversity Visa application fee, which only selected applicants pay later.
The Department says it collects the payment through Pay.gov, the US Treasury’s payment site, which accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal and Venmo from abroad. From Nepal that means a card that can pay in US dollars. Our guide to dollar card fees and limits explains which cards do.
2. A valid passport at the time of entry
A rule effective 10 April 2026 requires each entrant to give details of a valid, unexpired passport and to upload a scan of its biographic page and signature page.
| Passport scan | Requirement in the rule |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG. PDF is not accepted |
| File size | Not more than 5 MB |
| Pages | Biographic page and signature page |
The exemptions are narrow: stateless persons, nationals of a Communist-controlled country who cannot obtain a passport, and people with an individual waiver. They will not apply to most applicants from Nepal.
In earlier years you could enter without a passport and get one only if selected. That is no longer possible.
3. An entry period of at least thirty days
The rule keeps the long-standing provision that the Department sets an entry period of not less than thirty days in each fiscal year. When the dates come, there will be time. There is no reason to pay anyone for a “first day slot”.
What the last published instructions said
The most recent full instructions are those for DV-2026. Each year’s instructions can differ, so treat these as a guide to what to prepare, not as the rules for the next entry.
- Country. Nepal was on the list of eligible countries for DV-2026. The list is set again each year.
- Education or work. You needed at least a high school education, defined as a completed 12-year course of schooling, or two years of work experience in the past five years in a qualifying occupation.
- One entry per person. More than one entry made a person ineligible. A husband and wife could each submit one.
- Photo. JPEG, square, 600 × 600 pixels, not more than 240 kB, taken within the last six months, without eyeglasses.
- Results. The Department does not send letters or emails to tell people they have won. The only place to check was Entrant Status Check on the official site, using the confirmation number.
What you can do now
Nothing here costs money to anyone except the passport office.
- Check your passport. It must be valid and unexpired on the day you enter. If it is close to expiry, renew it now. The Department declined to postpone the passport rule on the ground that people needed more time.
- Check your family’s passports. The rule speaks of the entrant’s passport. Whether a spouse and children must also hold one at entry will be in the instructions, so have theirs ready.
- Scan the two passport pages as a clear JPEG under 5 MB.
- Have a recent photo taken to the size above, for each family member.
- Arrange a card that pays in US dollars.
- Write your name exactly as in the passport. Keep one spelling everywhere.
- Collect your education certificates. They are not uploaded at entry, but a selected applicant must prove the claim at interview. If yours need translating later, our guide to translation and attestation of Nepali certificates explains the process.
Fake EDV 2028 sites and agents: how the fraud works
The State Department’s March 2026 rule describes the main fraud. Third parties, some of them criminal groups, submit entries in people’s names and then keep the confirmation number. Without that number a person cannot check the result. The agent releases it only for a large payment.
The Department says it found 2.5 million fraudulent entries in DV-2025.
Use these checks:
- The address ends in .state.gov. The entry site is dvprogram.state.gov. A site with “dv”, “edv” or “2028” in its name and a different ending is not the US government.
- The fee is US$1, paid on the US government’s payment page. Anyone charging “registration” or “processing” in thousands of rupees is selling their own service.
- No one can improve your chances. Selection is a random computer draw.
- Keep your own confirmation number. If someone helps you fill the form, sit with them, and take the confirmation page with you.
- The US government does not email winners. A message saying you have won and must pay is a scam.
Our guides on how to verify a fake notice and on warning signs of foreign job scams cover the same pattern in other forms.
If you are selected: the wider picture this year
This part concerns people who have already been selected, not new entries. We include it because it explains the mood around the programme.
In January 2026 the US suspended immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, Nepal among them, as The Kathmandu Post reported. US law firms report that a federal court set that policy aside on 21 August 2026 and that the State Department said a week later that it was no longer in effect. A separate pause on diversity visa issuance and a court ruling on it were also reported in August.
The US Embassy in Kathmandu links to the State Department’s current guidance on diversity visa processing from its visa page. Read that page, not social media, for the position on any given day.
Need a correctly sized photo or a clean passport scan?
We prepare photos, scans and documents. The entry itself is yours to submit on the official site. फोटो, स्क्यान र कागजातका लागि सम्पर्क गर्नुहोस्।
Frequently asked questions
When will the EDV 2028 form open in Nepal?
No date has been announced as of 13 October 2026. The form is the same worldwide and opens at the same moment for every country.
Is the EDV form still free?
No. A US$1 registration fee now applies and is paid when you submit the entry. It is paid to the US government online, not to an agent.
Do I need a passport to fill the EDV form?
Yes. Since 10 April 2026 the rules require a valid, unexpired passport and a scan of its biographic and signature pages at the time of entry.
What is the EDV photo size?
In the last published instructions it was a square JPEG of 600 × 600 pixels, not more than 240 kB, taken within the last six months. Confirm it in the new instructions when they appear.
Is Nepal eligible for DV-2028?
The list for DV-2028 has not been published. Nepal was eligible in DV-2026, the most recent list available.
Which website is the real one?
dvprogram.state.gov. Information about the programme is on travel.state.gov. Both end in .state.gov.
Conclusion
The EDV 2028 opening date is not known, and any website giving one is guessing. What is known is more useful: the entry now costs US$1, it needs a valid passport and a scan of two pages, and the entry period will last at least thirty days once it is announced.
So the work for this month is simple. Check your passport, prepare the scan and the photo, sort out a dollar card, and wait for the notice on the official site. We will update this page the day it appears.
Sources
- US Department of State, final rule, Visas: Enhancing Vetting and Combatting Fraud in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, Federal Register, 11 March 2026, effective 10 April 2026: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/11/2026-04737/visas-enhancing-vetting-and-combatting-fraud-in-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program
- US Department of State, final rule on the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services establishing the US$1 registration fee, Federal Register, 16 September 2025: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/16/2025-17851/schedule-of-fees-for-consular-services-department-of-state-and-overseas-embassies-and
- US Department of State, Diversity Visa Instructions for DV-2026, Federal Register, 1 October 2024: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/01/2024-22482/diversity-visa-instructions-for-dv-2026
- Official entry site: https://dvprogram.state.gov/
- US Embassy in Nepal, visas page: https://np.usembassy.gov/visas/
- The Kathmandu Post, “US to suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Nepal” (15 January 2026): https://kathmandupost.com/world/2026/01/15/us-to-suspend-immigrant-visa-processing-for-75-countries-including-nepal
- Programme trackers used for the status of DV-2027 and DV-2028, dated 14 to 30 September 2026: Clinch Law, Reyes Blum, Ilabaca Law
Digital Solution Pvt. Ltd. is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with the US government or the US Embassy. We do not sell DV entries. The rules quoted are from the Federal Register; the status of the entry period is as reported on the dates shown. Always confirm on the official site before you act.
Rabin Paudel
Rabin Paudel is the Founder of Digital Solution, a Content Creator, and an AI Trainer. He shares practical and easy-to-understand content on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Literacy, Online Services, FinTech, and Technology. His mission is to make technology simple, accessible, and useful for everyone.
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